Postdoctoral Research Scientist                                                                  2017-2018

Section of Microbiology and Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Science, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy              

• Post-doctoral scientist investigating the changes of circadian genes expression in WT mice and Mdx mice.
• Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of urine stem cells as a disease model for muscular dystrophy.
• Publishing scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.
• Performing regular seminars and research updates meetings to discuss the results that we obtain from different research projects.
• Tutoring master and undergtaduate student in their research project.

PhD Research                                                                                                  2014-2016

Department of Medical Science, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

Isolation and characterization of urine-derived stem cells as a novel modeling tool to study hereditary neuromuscular diseases

• Setting up a protocol for the isolation of stem cells from urine specimens of healthy donors and DMD patients.
• Characterization of the isolated cells by surface markers.
• Myogenic transformation of the urine stem cells.
• Evaluation of antisense treatment in native USCs and myogenic USCs using antisense oligoribonucleotide (AON) for dystrophin exon skipping and validate the efficacy of USCs as in vitro model for drug screening.
• Evaluation of the dystrophin transcripts by microfluidic card Taqman based assay in both native and myogenic urine stem cells before and after treatment.
• Verifying the presence of dystrophin protein before and after treatment using Immunofluorescence analysis and Western blotting.
• Examining the presence of other muscular genes such as collagen VI gene in urine stem cells.
• Gaining expertise in a wide range of molecular, biochemical and cultural techniques.
• Awarded ESHG 2017 – Conference Fellowship for Non-European Countries.
• Awarded EFIS-EJI South Eastern European Immunology School (SEEIS2015) fellowship in Becici, Montenegro.
• Telethon Convention 9-11 March 2015

RELEVANT RESEARCH SKILLS

• Participating in a research project by screening and sequencing POPDC1 gene that causes muscular dystrophy.
• Evaluating three different protocols (Chip high sensitivity microarray, Real- time PCR, and Nested PCR) used for the quantification of the skipping percentages of dystrophin gene on DMD immortalized myoblasts treated with antisense oligoribonucleotide, to assign the best protocol of skipping quantification.
• Particpating in a project that study the regulation of T-cells by HLA-G in CMV infected heart transplanted patients by isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from peripheral blood and studying the expression of CD80 transcripts by Real time PCR and CD80 protein by ELISA techinque.
• Performing different types of cell culture: myoblast from muscle biopsy and fibroblast from skin biopsy
• Comparing the gene expression between nuclear and cytoplasmic RNA.

Master Research                     2011-2013                                                                                    

M.Sc in Medical Laboratory Sciences in Microbiology, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan

Evaluation of RT-PCR Assay for Rapid Detection of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Virus.

• Deveoping Conventional PCR Assay for direct detection of CCHFV from clinical specimens collected in Sudan.
• Optimizing a TaqMan-based Real time PCR for detection of CCHFV.
• Optimizing RT-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) techniques for detection of CCHFV.